Respond

Tune in and respond to the sounds children are hearing and sensing around them.

Play back and forth (serve and return) games by mimicking children's sounds and body language and adding variations.

Introduce a variety of familiar and new language sounds, through kōrero, orioiri, waiata, nursery rhymes, poems, and stories. Include those shared by whānau.

Encourage children to play with language sounds and rhythms, using visual, tactile and movement cues such as bouncing or clapping to a beat.

Provide books that mokopuna can always access easily and independently. These need to be robust, have clear images and simple texts. Include books that integrate texture and sound.

Read daily and repeat stories often so that mokopuna begin to see how print guides the words we read.

Tell mokopuna when you record things like, sleep times, and let them see you do this.

Share short stories and picture books daily, individually or in small groups. Aim for these experiences to be informal, relaxed and child-led. Encourage and support repeat sharing of favourite books and stories.

Follow the child’s lead, aligning your attention with theirs. Prioritise children’s positive engagement over getting to the end of a story.

Point to and name images in books and connect images to children’s experiences, e.g. “Ae, he ngeru tēna. That’s a cat. You’ve got a cat at home haven’t you.”

Read to mokopuna often ensuring these book-reading opportunities are relaxing, enjoyable, and child-led.

Let mokopuna take the lead turning pages and deciding when to start and finish the book.

Point out print, signs, symbols, and logos in the environment and talk about their use and meaning.

Model using mark making resources in a range of ways, encouraging curiosity and pleasure, e.g. drawing with chalk, crayons on card, or with water and big brushes on a path outside.

Provide regular opportunities and time for mokopuna to experiment with mark-making materials. Comment on their achievements, for example, the way their movements create different kinds of marks.

Provide appropriate mark making resources so mokopuna can 'write' with or alongside you as you write notes, observations, shopping lists etc.

Repeat nursery rhymes, orioiri, waiata, poems, and stories that offer mokopua familiarity and confidence to participate. Include home languages where practical.

Play guessing games where mokopuna identify actions and objects through sound alone (e.g. “Close your eyes. Can you guess what makes this sound”).

Make up words and phrases that play with language rhythms, syllables, rhyme, and sound repetition such as “pakipaki, pikipiki, pekepeke”, “sqwodgy, squishy, squidgy”.

Model and talk about the use of internal speech with mokopuna. You might ask them if they can hear their own voice in their head without speaking.

Encourage mokopuna to be playful with voice and use actions, expression, pace and tone by modelling these elements yourself, e.g. moving your head to match syllable breaks or repeated sounds.

Draw children’s attention to printed logos, symbols and words on packaging and signs. Talk about meaning and purpose, e.g. “That word/ symbol/ sign tells us…”

Combine print with images to signal personal spaces and items, such as sleeping spaces, personal lockers. Use home language scripts where possible.

Point out print conventions used to convey meaning as you read stories, e.g. large, printed words or capitals that indicate shouting or urgency. Be sensitive to maintaining the flow and interest in what you are reading.

Provide realistic print resources that reflect children’s interests and can be incorporated into children’s play - both inside and out, e.g. recipe cards, suitable packaging, posters and books about roads or buildings.

Read to mokopuna every day individually and in small groups. Encourage them to select stories and books as well as suggesting those they may enjoy.

Keep story reading experiences relaxed and informal, including finishing a story or story book before the end if mokopuna have lost interest.

Comment and wonder out loud about what is happening and what characters are doing while also being sensitive to maintaining the flow of the story. Give time for mokopuna to respond before continuing.

Encourage mokopuna to contribute to familiar stories by pausing for them to fill in the gap or finish a sentence, e.g. “It grew bigger, and bigger, and …. bigger!”

Encourage mokopuna to select, hold the book and turn pages themselves. Follow their lead and pause when reading to discuss elements of interest, being sensitive to maintaining the flow of the story.

Point out the relationship between words and images. Draw attention to words where the typography itself conveys meaning or emotion, for example, big, elongated, or wavy type.

As you write or type, let mokopuna see and hear how you are using print conventions to form words and sentences, e.g. “Now I need a gap because I am starting a new word”, “Names always start with a capital letter, so I need to type a big A here”.

Make the most of print in the environment to foster understanding of print conventions, “This is your name. It says Moana”, “That is an M, it sounds like /m/ for Moana.” Pause before reading familiar signs, giving children time to show their understandings of these.

Encourage mokopuna to create texts in their imaginative play, using mark making and drawing, such as road signs. Take time to listen to their explanations and observe their developing skills and working theories about writing.

Invite mokopuna to use both custom-made and found objects to explore their working theories about writing.

Encourage mokopuna to participate with or alongside you as you write, by providing parallel tools such as sign-in forms, observation notebooks.

Provide opportunities for mokopuna to use their knowledge of rhyming words and patterns by joining in, adapting and inventing poems, rhymes, waiata and stories.

Include books that play on language, using voice, expression, and actions to emphasise these. Take time to talk with mokopuna about the sounds and words, for example, ones they like or dislike.

Play language games regularly that focus on syllables and sounds, such as clapping out syllables, finding words that rhyme (kai, pai, high, sigh). Give children time to respond.

Talk about the use of internal speech with mokopuna and particularly for mokopuna who use AAC, e.g. “Did you know that when I say the word ball, I can also think it. I say it to myself inside my head?”

Integrate picture books with longer storylines. Include reference and instruction books or posters, positioned where they are useful – both inside and outside. Read familiar books where mokopuna can begin to anticipate the words on the page.

Ignite mokopuna interest in the value of print (words, numbers, symbols) to record and memorise information, e.g. make charts, plans and lists with mokopuna. Encourage mokopuna to name artwork. Discuss why recording this is helpful.

Integrate the alphabet throughout the learning environment by including alphabet puzzles, friezes or posters with pictures that correspond to the letter sound. Include examples of scripts in home languages in consultation with whānau. Support mokopuna to connect letters with their corresponding sounds.

Draw attention to print – words, signs, symbols, logos – within the setting and when out in the community. Talk with mokopuna about their meaning and uses.

Read or tell favourite stories repeatedly. Encourage mokopuna to recite familiar passages with you as you read, e.g. “You can say it along with me as I read – Out of the gate and off for a walk went …”.

Provide and encourage the use of props, both purpose-made (e.g. puppets) and improvised (e.g. an item brought from home or found on an excursion).

Discuss with mokopuna how the author has presented the ideas in the story and how the illustrations help understanding of the story.

Comment and wonder about what is happening in stories, connecting to what has already happened, what might happen next and why.

Foster curiosity and engagement about how print works by being playful with concepts such as directionality, book orientation, e.g. show a familiar book back to front and upside down asking “Is this where I start the story?”

Trace print as you read, pausing on interesting words and punctuation. Highlight words starting with the same letter and sound. Make connections between the words, illustrations, plot and the people, places and things children are familiar with.

Encourage mokopuna to write or type alphabet letters and words themselves. Comment on the print conventions they understand, e.g. “That gap tells me you have written your first name and your last name there”, “That looks like a list because the words go down the page.”

Take opportunities during excursions to discover and explore signs and symbols (including logos) and what they mean. Draw attention to letters of the alphabet and have fun predicting with mokopuna what the words may mean.

Encourage the use of games both handwritten and digital, which require children to record letters, numbers, words and/or their own name.

Encourage children to write their own name for a range of purposes such as naming artwork. Provide written models such as portable name cards for children to refer to if they choose.

Provide gentle assistance in holding writing tools, ensuring it doesn't deter children’s willingness to write. Show children how digital media can also be used for writing.

Discuss writing ideas together. Invite children to write, using their knowledge of letters and sounds. If needed, offer suggestions on what they might include and which resources to use. Appreciate their efforts and encourage them to share their writing with others.

Make use of everyday interactions to draw attention to sound-letter relationships, e.g. “Whose name begins with /t/, /ch/, or /wh/?”, “I spy something that starts with the sound /p/”. Talk with mokopuna about language features including rhythm, rhyme, repetition, consonant and vowel sounds.

Encourage mokopuna to make up and share their own games that play on rhyme, syllables, consonant, vowel and initial sounds, e.g. have mokopuna create sentences using alliteration (“Tane tip-toed to town”) or make up words (“apple bapple papple”).

Share silly rhymes, waiata and jokes that play with rhyme, syllables, consonants, vowels, and alliteration such as “See you later alligator”, “How now brown cow”.

Model the use of internal speech for mokopuna who use AAC, e.g. “I need to write Wiremu, what sound can I hear at the start of Wiremu? I’ll say it out loud – Wiremu. Now let’s say it inside our heads”.

Draw children’s attention to printed words and punctuation as you read fiction and non-fiction books (including digital books) on a wide range of topics, being sensitive to maintain the flow and interest in what you are reading.

Provide resources – indoors and outdoors – to support the prediction of letter-sound relationships such as board games, alphabet bingo.

Encourage children to contribute to a print-rich environment through their own creativity and for the benefit of others, e.g. initiating signs, writing lists, designing charts and board games, making books and digital stories, or planning a trip to the library. Encourage children who may use written scripts in home languages to do so.

Provide permanent and movable spaces that support both shared and independent reading.

Read to mokopuna every day individually, in small and larger groups. Incorporate time for planned as well as spontaneous story reading experiences.

Explore stories and story books with mokopuna in more depth using comments and wonderings about who, what, when, where, why and how. Actively listen to mokopuna ideas and use prompts to help them expand their thinking.

Encourage mokopuna to take the lead and share favourite stories and books. Use guiding prompts to support their retelling such as wondering what happens next.

For mokopuna who are already demonstrating the ability to read words, encourage further interest by sensitively inviting and supporting them to read books with peers.

Point out to children the print conventions they have already grasped in their efforts to write signs, messages, lists, instructions for games. Use these opportunities as informal teachable moments to scaffold learning of further print concepts.

Play a range of games and puzzles with children that involve matching alphabet letters with their corresponding sounds for example, alphabet bingo, alphabet jump. Include games in te reo Māori and children’s home languages. Discuss the differences between languages, how they are spoken (e.g. /wh/ in te reo Māori sounds like /f/ or /ph/ in English) and how they are written (e.g. the use of macrons to show long vowels in te reo Māori).

Talk with children about print directionality, word boundaries, capital letters, and punctuation in books, pamphlets, instruction manuals, signs, and games. Highlight how these conventions play out for different genres and differ in other written languages.

Encourage children to create and use portable cards in their play to communicate with others, e.g. “Leo’s work – please don’t touch”, “Give way.” Capitalise on opportunities to highlight the beginning sound in children’s own names.

Integrate writing and illustration as a regular part of the curriculum using a range of media (handwritten and digital) and for a range of purposes. Work with children’s interests to make writing experiences meaningful and motivating.

Explore with children the process of writing as they construct written or digital texts such as stories and instructions. Invite children to share their texts with others.

Encourage children to write whole words, using invented spellings, by connecting their knowledge of language sounds and letters. Scaffold children’s efforts by sounding out words and allowing children time to identify related letters before making your own suggestions.

Observe how children use writing implements. Sensitively model and demonstrate how they can hold writing implements to make mark-making easier if needed.

Encourage children to write their own name and the names of their peers as part of play and every-day happenings, e.g. adding names to waiting lists.